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# sty

noun (a sty, sties or styes); also spelled stye for the eye sense

«sty» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A sty, or pigsty, is a pen or small building where pigs are kept. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#m1)
2. (informal) A sty is a very dirty or messy place, like a messy bedroom. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#m2)
3. A sty (also spelled stye) is a small, red, sore lump on the edge of the eyelid, caused by an infection. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#m3)

### In the lessons

In farm and story books, pigs live in a sty. At home, parents may say «Your room is a pigsty!» meaning very messy. In health, a stye on the eyelid is common, usually harmless, and helped by a warm cloth and clean hands; do not squeeze it. Phrases: «a pig sty / pigsty», «like a pigsty», «a stye in my eye».

### Examples

- The pigs rolled in the mud in their sty. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x1)
- Mum said my bedroom looked like a pigsty. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x2)
- I had a sore stye on my eyelid. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x3)
- The farmer cleaned out the sty every morning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x4)
- A warm cloth can help a stye get better. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x5)
- Don't rub a stye or squeeze it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x6)
- The three little pigs never lived in a sty. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x7)
- But the prince had gone to sleep long before in the pig-sty. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/#x8)

### Note

Plural: «sties» (pens) or «styes» (eye lumps). The eye sense is often spelled «stye». Rhymes with «sky».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sty» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sty/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sty» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sty.html) on Mova free.